Hi. I will likely be traveling to Venice/Florence in October and likely be traveling solo. Any suggestions for routes to take (fly into Rome - then Florence, train to Venice, fly home from Venice or the other way around?) and safe, centralized and non-touristy places to stay? Thanks!

I suggest a RT flight to/from Venice.

Fly from home to Venice, then take a train from Venice to Florence upon arrival (3 hours one way). See Florence first, then take a train from Florence to Venice. Fly home from Venice.

We did this earlier this year and it worked out perfectly (it was also the least expensive way for us (flight-wise) to see these two cities.

Where do you live? The different flight options depending where you leave from might affect your plan slightly.
I would only plan on flying into or out of Rome if you plan to spend a few nights there.

Hi, thanks for your info. I live in NYC, so I can fly into either airport directly. I will use my travel agent to orchestrate the trip (she usually gets a great bulk rate), but I want to conserve $ as well as time. I wouldn't mind staying in Rome for a day (loved it), but if it's substantially more economical to do it your way, I would! Any suggestions as to hotels or areas to stay? If you know NY, I tend to like to stay in places that are comparable to the Columbus Avenue area on the Upper West Side. In Rome, I stayed on the Via Nazionale and it was a perfect location (as an example). Thanks again!

laurie (?),

Florence is quite small. A safe, centralized and non-touristy place in Florence would be the Oltrano neighborhood. I stayed neared the Duomo which was overwhelmed with tourists. To give you a sense of scale, it's only a 10-15 minute walk from the Oltrano to the Duomo so it's both central and not as touristy.

Venice is also easy to get around. In your case, I would avoid anything close to the train station (this goes for Florence also - think Penn Station). The areas close to San Marco and Rialto Bridge are incredibly touristy (think times square). I think you would be happier in the Castello quarter. It is walkable to many areas but would be best if you are close to a vaporetto stop.

Hi Laurie,

Venice is not that large and I agree with Bardo stay in either Castello or maybe Arsenale area. I stayed in Arsenale last year and it was perfect. A true Venitian nieghborhood.

If you are flying from NYC why not fly into Pisa and leave from Venice.

Tom

Yes you could also look at Pisa. Are there non-stops from NYC? If not, the train trip is about the same time a layover. Again, look at cost and total trip times.

BTW - Arsenale is IN Castello.

Thank you so much for the info, guys! I will definitely look into the areas you suggested as well as flying into Pisa!